Barabia
Barabia, officially known as the Sultanate of Barabia, is one of the largest human nations in the Southern Islands. It is located upon it's own island: The Island of Nite, and most of it's terrain is deserts and barren landforms. The Barabian Sultanate consists of three distinct areas; Muhasa, the area with the most population and home to the capital Agraturah, is along the northern area of the country. The second area; Sahalla is the area along the western coast where many trade ships dock and the populous is constantly fluctuating. The third area; Lezakar is an even more desolate desert that is almost completely inhospitable, with inhabitants usually living on the edges. It is said to be populated by many horrible and magical beings. The Barabian Sultanate is around 75% Human and 25% Ophedian. The Barabian economy largely consists of trading fragrances, textiles, ivory and precious stones. __TOC__ The original human settlers of Nite were Nomads. Records do not say where they were originally from, but they come on makeshift boats. However, the boats were wrecked and travelling further by sea was not an option. The barren wasteland they found themselves in (later put within the borders of Lezakar) was not able to support a human town however, and the traveled north through the desert. Many of the original Nomads died along the way, shown by the scattered gravestone all over the Lezakar. Eventually, however, the Nomads found a luscious land, consisting of 31 separate oases in very close proximity. The first city Ala-Thune was built up around these oases and grew to a considerable size, maybe even to be considered a city. This was one the Ophedians first noticed the humans, who had started to call them selves Barabians, why is unknown. The Ophedians could live on very little food and water, and generally did not need to construct shelters and simply burrowed into the sand. The Ophedians knew of the one fertile area on the entire island, and said they could easily share it. The Barabians agreed, and about half of the inhabitants of Ala-Thune packed up and followed the Ophedians back into the desert. The Fertile Pilgrimage, as it is now called, lasted several weeks. The pilgrims sent back a messenger every day, though it is said not all the messengers made it back to Ala-Thune. Eventually, the pilgrims made it to the Fertile Land, which was then called Muhasa. The Barabians settled down, and sent a full group of messengers back to Ala-Thune. The Barabian country began to grow, eventually the entirety of the greener part of the desert was referred to as Muhasa, and the Fertile Land as Agraturah. There was constant trade between different towns, mainly the overabundance of food located at Agraturah and Ala-Thune being sent to the new towns popping up, mainly along the coast. Many small port towns appeared along the coast, now referred to as the Sahalla region. The main port was called Melena. The small group of people seen as leaders in Agraturah noticed began to worry, as they had very little control over the towns. It was decided they needed a proper leader, and all de-facto leaders of the different towns were called to Agraturah. They had a vote on who should lead, and Momed Azim was voted as leader. During this meeting it was decided to also have a second family to rule, the Ziviers of Barabia. This would be the ruling family of Ophedians, which came up as Jafar Siks. Since that point, the Sultans have been the Azim family and the Ziviers the Siks. After the unification of the Barabian villages, they immediately broke once more. Several town leaders disagreed with how things had ended up for many reasons; some didn't want a sultan outright, others didn't want Momed Azim as sultan and other villages detested giving an Ophedian so much power. Three factions arose: the Sultanate of Barabia, the Trade Ports of Sahalla and the Anti-Ophedian League. The Trade Ports consisted of around two thirds of the ports, including Melena. The Anti-Ophedian League was very scattered and weak. Momed Azim immediately marched to war, mainly with an army composing of Ophedians. The AO League was quickly out down, though they still linger today. The war between Barabia and Sahalla, however, was more difficult. It lasted a four years, and many men on both side died. In the end, the Sultan defeated Lord Mutamarid. After the civil war, Sultan Azim reached out to the other countries of the world. Soon enough, the Barabian Sultanate was a Southern Island power. In recent years, the Barabian power has fallen as the power of the Maktig Empire and New Maktia has too, while Newtown's power and trade has rose. Barabia has two leaders: the Sultans and the Ziviers. Although the Sultan is the official leader, the Zivier has a lot of power. The interaction between Sultans and Ziviers is simple; meet bi-weekly and discuss ideas. They also meet when their is a council meeting, which is usually upon the other weeks. Generally, Sultans preside over trade and towns, where Ziviers deal more directly with the people. The Sultan family Azim are generally very dark skinned, with very little hair. The usual Sultan garb is a white robe with a simple golden band as head wear. The Zivier family Siks are generally dark green skinned Ophedians, and are one of the only rich families of Ophedians with facial hair. The usual Zivier garb is a crimson red robe with a jeweled staff. Barabia foreign relations are heavily based on coastal nations. Nations such as the Defdril nation and Daverium are of little consequence to the Barabians. However they have very strong relations with the Maktig Empire, despite its very human-centered view. The Barabians have always been careful when talking to the Empire, and hidden Ophedians from sight. The Maktig Empire has always been vital to the Barabians, as they are their most active trading partner. They have a similar relation with the Maktig Empire's break-off nation New Maktia. New Maktia has arguably been more vital, as they have very fertile lands, something that Barabia lacks. However, Barabia has also had to keep this relation as secret from the Maktig Empire as possible too. The Barabians, from the outside view, have a cordial relationship with Newtown, trading, though maybe not as much as they do with the Maktigian nations. However, the Azim and Siks family harbor a hatred for them, as much of the Southern Island trade routes have been dragged towards them and away from Barabia. Barabia has a relatively small land army but very large navy. It's land army is primarily Ophedian, which has had some judgement from the Ophedian population. However, the navy is primarily manned by Humans, and this is the argument the Human population gives back. The current Supreme General is Lala Leeham (Human) and the current Supreme Admiral is Tala Kar (Ophedian.) The Muhasa region of Barabia is as lush as a desert can be; it has one large area of farm able land, which the capital Agraturah is located near, and many oases. Their is one small forest in the very northern most tip. The Sahalla region is much more barren than the Muhasa region, though still not as the much as the Lezakar region. However, strange vegetation has grown across the coast, including the Paraza, a strange tree similar to a palm tree but splits half way up to create five different tops. ''See also: ''List of Lezakarian Creatures The Lezakar region is completely barren. It is informally called the Night Graveyard, and the only creatures that live there do not feed, or very rarely. No vegetation has been found there. Agraturah - Agraturah is the capital of the Barabia, and consists of many farmers. The most notable building is the Agrapalace. Although it is the home of the Sultan and Zivier, a large part of it is farms. Ala-Thune - Also called Thirty-One Oases, Ala-Thune was the first settled city by the Barabians. It is known for its lush looks and cool weather, for Barabians that is. Melena - Melena is the main port for Barabia, and is a mixture of different races and cultures. The Graveroad - The Graveroad is a trail of stones entering the Lezakar Region, all the way to the eastern coast. These mark the dead of the first travelers onto Nite Island. ''See also: ''Ophedians The two main races who populate Barabia live with equal rights. However, Humans are recognised to be superior in strength and Ophedians in intellect. Both sides accept this reality. Other than this, they are seen as equal with many nobles being Human and Ophedian. One issue for this equality is the Anti-Ophedian League. Although their attempts to become an independent nation was crushed, they still exist in roving bands, kidnapping, murdering and torturing Ophedians. This issue is usually a top priority for any Zivier, but being Ophedians themselves makes this a very difficult task. Women are not treated as equals in Barabia. Their main point in life is to provide and raise children. This leads to many nobles taking several wives. They are also usually taught silk-work, and fashion is highly appreciated amongst them. The Barabians do not have a very large tendency towards anyone God. Many in the Sahalla region follow Bragos more than other Gods, but not by much, and no other regions have this tendency. Most entertainment within Barabia comes from street-performers, those who can do real magic and those who cannot. Music and acting never really took off due to distance having to travel for events, which can be difficult in a desert region. Jewelers and painters are generally recognised as the most skill artists in Barabia, and not many other arts are practiced. The Sahalla region has very little education, but the Muhasa region does. Education within the Muhasa region generally teaches farming and equality to young children. As the children grow, they are taught maths and literature. Medicine in Barabia is fairly advanced, with regular use of herbs. Barabian fashion is generally very light: robes and cloths made from silk. Fashion among women is held in very high esteem, as they also generally work with silk. The main imports of Barabia are: * Food * Lumber * Stone The main exports of Barabia are: * Textiles * Fragrances * Precious Stones The trade within Barabia has recently declined due to the rise of Newtown and decline of the Maktigian nations. This has caused a drop in the economy of the Sultanate, which has affected some trade routes and prices.